When Moon sees Favre, who turned 40 years old Saturday, he always asks the same question.

“You’re not going to play as long as I did, are you?” wonders Moon, who retired at age 44. “He always says, ‘There’s no way I’m going to play as long as you.’ But every year I see him and say, you’re getting closer. Now he’s at 40 and who knows how much longer the guy can play the game, the way he’s playing right now.”

If the 4-0 Vikings make the playoffs this season, Favre is in line to become the first quarterback during the NFL’s Super Bowl era to start a playoff game after turning 40. Favre is establishing himself as an MVP candidate, defying the odds along the way.

Phil Simms, who remains the oldest quarterback to start a playoff game since 1966, knows exactly why Favre is playing so well despite his age.

“It’s easy,” Simms said. “The answer is talent.”

Old age? What old age?

“In my eyes, he’s the greatest thrower of the football I’ve ever seen,” said Simms, who was 39 when he started for the Giants in a 1993 playoff game against San Francisco. “Even though he’s lost his ability a little bit as time has gone on, he’s still unbelievable.”

That Favre is still slinging the football around at such a high level is rare. In 1997, at 41, Moon became the oldest quarterback to play in a Pro Bowl. Only four quarterbacks during the Super Bowl era have started at least five games after turning 40: Len Dawson, Doug Flutie, Vinny Testaverde and Moon.

“It’s a little bit of luck,” Simms said. “It’s being in the right place. It takes a lot of talent. And the biggest factor is what? Money.

“We’re in a day and age where everybody is always clamoring for the next guy. You’ve got to draft the new guy, the quarterback of the future. Brett Favre, because of his great talent and his legend, his knowledge of the system and everything else, that’s why he’s able to survive.”

Favre has done more than just survive. He’s flourished in the past two games.

Against San Francisco, he launched a game-winning touchdown pass to Greg Lewis with two seconds left. He might have surpassed that highlight-reel play Monday night by tossing three touchdown passes in a nearly flawless performance against the Green Bay Packers, his first game against his former team.

Simms, a CBS Sports analyst, said he’s noticed a difference in Favre from Week 1 to Week 4.

“He’s absolutely getting in better game shape,” Simms said. “His legs look it; they show it. He’s just getting in condition to play football, mentally and physically, and he’ll continue to play better because of that.”

HOLDING OFF FATHER TIME

There are many challenges for a quarterback to get an opportunity to play well as he gets older. As Simms noted, the financial pressures of the NFL play into every decision made by those in the front office. Coaches are pressured to win immediately and to play young talent. As quarterbacks get older, they start to break down because of injuries. And old legs typically are the first thing to betray a quarterback.

Favre was able to overcome a partially torn biceps tendon he suffered last season, but he seriously considered remaining retired because of the injury before electing to have surgery.

In the first few days after he signed Aug. 18 with the Vikings, Favre knew his legs weren’t up to speed. Favre said if his legs felt today like they did then, he would be in trouble.

“They were dead,” he said. “I’ve heard that from a lot of players who have played as long as I have, that the legs go. Your mind is telling you you can do it, but your legs just won’t. I recovered after that first week of (practice).”

Favre is listed on the injury report this week with foot, ankle and knee injuries. Although they aren’t considered serious, they’re an indication of the wear and tear he faces.

It becomes more important to take care of the body as age takes over, Moon said.

Moon had a precise regimen. He said rest was paramount. He avoided doing too many appearances and commitments away from the field. A good night’s sleep was important, along with taking advantage of off days.

“You try and kind of keep the number of throws down to a certain number,” Moon said. “I don’t know what that number is for Brett, but you want to keep it somewhere probably in the 60 throws a day for that Wednesday and Thursday, which is your hardest two days of practice.”

Moon scaled back his participation on Friday and said he could probably let the other quarterbacks handle the walk-through on Saturday.

On Monday, the day after a game, Moon said he didn’t like to do anything, except for getting in a good workout to help get the lactic acid out of his muscles.

Moon also stretched his arm before and after practice and wrapped it with ice after every practice.

“So all these things I think were incorporated into my routine to get me ready to play and to keep me fresh, especially later in the season, because you can really start to get worn down a little bit mentally and physically as you get into the later parts of the season,” Moon said. “But if you’re taking care of yourself in the early part of the season and stay within that routine, I think you can really maintain throughout the whole year.”

Favre said his routine isn’t anything special.

“I would love to tell you I spend five hours a week in the gym,” he said. “I don’t do that.”

Favre said he has gotten in cold tubs this season for the first time in his career.

“Whether or not that helps, it’s sure better the way it feels,” he said.

Favre was beat up through the first three weeks of the season. He said he felt the worst he’s ever felt after a game when he played San Francisco in Week 3. But he bounced back and was masterful against Green Bay last week.

A CHANCE TO REST?

After an emotional matchup with the Packers, today’s Vikings game against the winless Rams provides the type of opportunity that will help Favre last longer this season, Simms said.

“As a quarterback of a good football team, if you get three what we could call weeks off, that will pace you and should help you survive,” Simms said. “I know you don’t take games for granted, but to me that would be the inspiration coaching for Minnesota this week.

“I know the St. Louis Rams, they’re going to be anxious to win a game, but this would be one of those games where you would hope that maybe, if they do things right, Brett Favre will have an easy week.”

The Vikings have a tough game coming up against a physical Baltimore team, so it would be ideal if they could take a big lead on the Rams and then pull Favre from the game, perhaps early in the fourth quarter.

Former NFL coach Dan Reeves was at the helm of the Atlanta Falcons in 1998 when his team defeated the Vikings in the NFC championship game. Veteran Chris Chandler, 33 at the time, was his quarterback.

Reeves said he relied on Chandler for honesty about how he was feeling.

“I’ve always told quarterbacks, ‘I can’t look at you and tell your arm’s sore,’ ” said Reeves, who will be calling today’s game on Westwood One Radio.

NO DAY LIKE GAME DAY

Reeves believes it’s the grind of practices and preparation for games that drives some quarterbacks out of the NFL, even before they’re physically unable to play well.

“If you could just play games, there would be a lot of guys that would still be playing,” Reeves said. “No, seriously. I mean Roger Staubach, he would tell you that he just didn’t feel like he could go to training camp. Back then we used to go to Thousand Oaks, California, for eight weeks.”

Reeves remembers talking to Favre before the game in 2007 when the quarterback set the record for career touchdown passes against the Vikings at the Metrodome.

“He said, ‘You know, coach, I wish we could play a game every day, because I love to play the games,’ ” Reeves recalled. ” ‘It’s all the practices and meetings and stuff that get old.’ ”

Moon agreed, saying the hardest part of playing late in his career was keeping his focus every day in meetings, calling them monotonous.

Said Reeves: “A lot of guys want to go out and be a great player, and to do that they have to pay a tremendous price. A lot of them have children, and that (time commitment) takes away from their kids, and their wife, and there’s just a whole bunch of things that get in the way of them continuing to play.”

Favre’s unique abilities have allowed him to start 273 consecutive games, an NFL record. His durability is one of the key factors that has helped him play 19 years.

And his knowledge of the West Coast offense is a huge advantage. Favre’s quarterback rating of 104.7 this season ranks third in the NFL. He has thrown eight touchdown passes and just one interception.

“To see him the other night, the way he performed, I guess it was a pleasant surprise,” Reeves said. “I was pleased to see how well he threw the football. I love watching him. You should have fun while you’re playing and act like a little kid, and he does.”

A 40-year-old kid.

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